How to install Kodi on Firestick and Amazon Fire TV

The Android-based Amazon Firestick and Fire TV are popular devices for Kodi fans to take advantage of. Not only do you get all the channels and functionality of Fire TV, Kodi opens up a whole new range of add-ons and streaming channels. You can install Kodi on Firestick and Fire TV devices and enjoy the same streaming experience pretty without the hassle of a larger device.

While many Youtubers and eBay merchants sell Amazon Firesticks and Fire TVs with Kodi-pre-installed, we recommend you steer clear of these and install Kodi yourself. Those pre-configured “piracy boxes” often contain malware and malicious add-ons that steal your data, inject advertisements, or use your device as part of a larger botnet among other nefarious activities.

The process for installing Kodi on a Fire TV is the same as for a Firestick. Both devices, so long as you are using the 2nd-generation Fire TV Stick or newer, use the same Android-based Fire TV operating system. Note that the Fire TV has more powerful hardware and the storage can be expanded with an SD card, so it will run Kodi faster than the Stick and allow you to download more content.

There are several ways to install Kodi on a Fire TV, three of which we’ll outline here with step-by-step instructions. There are other methods using ADB and other tools, but frankly, they are overly complicated. One of these simple methods should get you up and running much faster. Once Kodi is ready, you can start installing add-ons like USTVNow just as you would on any other Kodi device.

Prepare your Firestick for Kodi

Before we begin, we need to allow the Fire TV to install apps from unknown sources.

Boot up your Fire TV and go to Settings > System

Scroll down to Developer Options

Toggle on Apps from unknown sources and confirm

You can now use apps from outside Amazon’s app ecosystem, including Kodi.

Warning: Use a VPN with a Kodi Firestick

While using Kodi, you should employ a virtual private network or VPN to keep you safe online. For some streaming, you will want to unblock geo-locked content or hide your streaming activity from snooping ISPs. Additionally, some third-party Kodi add-ons and builds can be hijacked by hackers, leaving you and your computer system exposed. The best way to avoid these situations is to install a VPN. We highly recommend everyone connect to a VPN before streaming or downloading content on Kodi.

Short for virtual private network, a VPN encrypts a device’s internet traffic and routes it through an intermediary server in a location of your choosing. This provides you with a new IP address and masks your internet activity from your ISP, making everything you do online more private.

You will need a VPN that is fast, takes your privacy seriously and has no data cap. We recommend IPVanish which fit’s these criteria, is the most popular VPN with the Kodi community, works with all Kodi add-ons and is one of the more straightforward VPNs to install on a Fire Stick or Fire TV.

Method #1: Download and install Kodi on Firestick and Fire TV with the Downloader App

While there are several ways to install Kodi on a Firestick this is by far the easiest. It doesn’t require a second device or a file explorer app. Instead, we’ll use the Downloader app to get Kodi directly from the official website. It works will all versions of the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, including first-generation models.

Boot up your Fire TV and use the Search box to find the Downloader app. As of time of writing it has an orange and white logo. You can also find it under Categories > Utilities

Select the app with your remote and click the Get or Download button

Downloader should automatically install, after which the Get or Download button will turn into an Open button. Click it

In the URL field on the Downloader app, enter the direct download URL for Kodi. For a stock, stable ARM release of Kodi 17.4 Krypton (latest version as of time of writing), enter https://www.comparitech.com/go/latest-kodi/

Double check the URL is exactly correct and hit the download button

Kodi will download and you’ll be prompted with an app installation menu. Select Install (note: the screenshot below depicts and update, not a fresh install, but the process is the same)

Kodi is now installed. Select Done and back out to the main menu

You can launch Kodi from the Apps section of the main Fire TV menu. Make sure to turn on your VPN first!

The link we provide (https://www.comparitech.com/go/latest-kodi/) is a redirect URL that always points to the latest stable version of Kodi compatible with Fire TV. For convenience, it’s much easier to type in that URL than the official one on the Kodi website, but it leads to the same APK file.

Method #2: Download and install Kodi on Firestick with ES Explorer

If for some reason the Downloader app in method #1 doesn’t suit you, ES Explorer is a tried-and-tested download that works in a similar manner.

Boot up your Fire TV and use the search bar to find the ES File Explorer app. Make sure you are in the Apps and Games category

Select the app with your remote and click the Get or Download button

The app will automatically download and install. Click the Open button once it’s finished to launch ES File Explorer

Navigate to the Tools > Download Manager in the left sidebar of ES Explorer

Select the + New tab at the bottom of the screen

Input the direct download URL for Kodi into ES File Explorer. As of time of writing, the latest stable ARM Android release of Kodi 17.1 Krypton is http://mirrors.kodi.tv/releases/android/arm/kodi-17.1-Krypton-armeabi-v7a.apk

Double-check the URL is exactly correct. Name the file whatever you like, such as “Kodi”, and click the Download Now button

Once downloaded, you’ll see a prompt with two open options. Choose Open file and then Install on the following prompt

Kodi will download and you’ll be prompted with an app installation menu. Select Install

Kodi is now installed. Select Done and back out to the main menu

You can launch Kodi from the Apps section of the main Fire TV menu. Make sure to turn on your VPN first!

If you prefer to get the latest version of Kodi from Google Play instead of a direct download APK, and you have another Android device with access to Google Play lying around, you can use Apps2Fire to install Kodi on your Fire TV.

Boot up your Fire TV and from the home menu go to Settings > System > About > Network

On the same Android device, download and install the latest version of Kodi from Google Play

Launch the app and tap the menu icon (three dots) in the top right corner

Tap Setup

Under IP address of your Fire TV, enter the IP address

Tap Save

Select the menu icon (three dots) again and select “Upload Apps”

Tap Kodi under Local apps to upload it to your Fire TV

The app should automatically install on your Fire TV

You can launch Kodi from the Apps section of the main Fire TV menu. Make sure to turn on your VPN first!

Best Kodi builds for Amazon Firestick

While many users will get along fine with stock Kodi on Fire TV, others might prefer to forego the work of installing all the add-ons and repositories needed to stream the content they want. An easy way to hit the ground running is with a Kodi build with all of your favorite add-ons pre-installed.

We preface all Firestick Kodi builds with this warning: While you will get some good, legal content and add-ons with a build, you may also download and install blacklisted add-ons as well. Kodi builds come with a large number of add-ons pre-installed, and you cannot select which ones you receive. A build can be useful by providing new and interesting features to Kodi, but you will need to do your due diligence to ensure you delete the unwanted piracy addons before you use it.

Comparitech does not condone or encourage any violation of copyright restrictions, including illegal streaming through Kodi. Kodi can be used for many excellent, legal online streaming purposes. Please consider the law, victims, and risks of piracy before downloading or streaming copyrighted material without permission.

If you’ve already got Kodi for Firestick installed and want to try a new build, make sure you perform a fresh install first.

Fire TV Sticks aren’t exactly powerful pieces of hardware, so you’ll want lightweight builds that won’t drag down performance. With that in mind, here are a few builds to consider:

Wookie Lite

This simple build comes with an interface that resembles the official Krypton version of Kodi. Taking up only 204MB of space on your Fire Stick, the build nets you live and on-demand TV, movies, sports, and kids content. Content is accessible directly from the home screen. It comes with an add-on installer, which makes it much easier to install more of your favorite add-ons without a keyboard.

Horus

At less than 100MB, Horus is a tiny Kodi build designed to run on less powerful devices. It’s extremely quick and supports all of your favorite add-ons, including Exodus. The interface is minimalist, links are up-to-date and the menus are well-organized. The Echo Wizard feature gives you access to community builds and special advanced settings. A bar above the main menu shows how much of your system resources are being used in real time.

Fire TV Guru

Fire TV Guru caters specifically to Fire TV and Firestick users. It comes with several popular add-ons pre-installed and includes categories for live and on-demand TV shows, movies, sports, and kids. An adult content option is available in the setup wizard. The developers say the build should run well on Fire Sticks without much lag.

Wullies Mini

Wullies Mini is resource-light and its 142MB file size fits nicely onto an Amazon Fire TV Stick. Not only that, it deletes unnecessary files each time you launch Kodi to keep the build as lean as possible. You also get categories to browse like sports, movies, TV shows, comedy, music, and live TV.

Aqua

Aqua is a lightweight build with a pleasant underwater theme. The community wizard allows you to install the build without wiping the old one first. You can set how often you want the wizard to clean out Kodi to keep it as lean as possible. Supports Realdedbrid, Trakt, and Favorites. There’s also a special motorsports section just for racing fans.

How to update Kodi on Fire TV Stick

Updating to the latest version of Kodi on Fire TV Stick uses the exact same process as a fresh install with method #1 above. Just change the download URL to the latest version from the official Kodi website. When you are prompted to install the update, you’ll be shown any new permissions that Kodi asks for.

That being said, there are a couple prerequisites to make sure everything goes smoothly.

If you’re upgrading from an older major version of Kodi and not just an older minor version build, such as from Jarvis 16.1 to Krypton 17.4, we recommend a clean install. That means uninstalling the existing Kodi app before installing the new one. More on how to uninstall below.

If you have a skin other than the original, we recommend switching back to the original skin first. Not all skins are compatible between different versions of Kodi, and updating with one in use could cause issues such as a black screen. The original skin is called “Confluence”.

How to uninstall Kodi on Fire TV Stick

If something goes wrong when installing or updating Kodi, or you want to perform a clean install, here’s how to uninstall Kodi on a Fire TV Stick:

From the home screen, go to Settings > Applications > Manage installed applications